William Heard Kilpatrick & Eleanor RooseveltCaption from Georgia Archives reads: "April 4, 1949. Award presentation at the Eleanor Roosevelt Testimonial Dinner sponsored by the Bureau for Intercultural Education. Left to right: Edwin R. Embree, William Heard Kilpatrick presenting awards to Mrs. Roosevelt, Bernard Baruch, John Foster Dulles. Kilpatrick was born in White Plains (Green County), Ga. He was internationally educator. He taught in Georgia public schools, Mercer, and Columbia University."

William Heard Kilpatrick cir 1900At John's Hopkins University cir. 1900. (Photo: Museum and Archives of Georgia Education, Milledgeville, Georgia & reproduced in "And there were giants in the land..." by John A. Beineke.)

William Heard Kilpatrick (1871-1965)14 page essay (pdf) by Landon E. Beyer on the life of Heard Kilpatrick and his contribution to the field of education. Originally published by Prospects: the quarterly review of comparative education (Paris, UNESCO: International Bureau of Education), vol. XXVII, no. 3, September 1997, p. 470-85

Notes

p. 229 from a section of The History of Greene County, GA titled Hisotry of the White Plains School by Miss Helen Kilpatrick. "

"....In 1887, the school observed the first Georgia Arbor Day, and the large oaks in from of the building were planted. A number of trees were set out but only those of Dr. Howell, Will M. Grant, J. Howell Mapp, William Heard Kilpatrick, Charles Sterling Jernigan and John Pardee lived."

The following from:
Books In Print database, (c) 2002 R.R. Bowker LLC
Title: And There Were Giants in the Land:
The Life of William Heard Kilpatrick
Author(s): Beineke, John A. , Author
Publication: New York : Peter Lang Publishing, Incorporated Publisher Record

William Heard Kilpatrick (1871-1965) was, during his long career, the chief interpreter & disseminator of John Dewey's educational thought. Known as "Columbia's Million-Dollar Professor" because of the great popularity (& revenue) of his classes at Teachers College, Kilpatrick vigorously promoted the progressive educational message that schools must be more child-centered, democratic, & socially oriented. This transplanted native of Georgia was the center of controversy over several decades. As a young man he underwent a heresy trial in the South for his unconventional theological beliefs. During the Great Depression he came under attack by conservatives for his active leadership in the radical Social Reconstructionist movement. And near the end of his life, he was assailed by McCarthyites for his social views & challenges to the traditional curriculum. Since his death, critics have accused Kilpatrick's legacy of departing from Dewey's message & encouraging anti-intellectualism by classroom practitioners. Kilpatrick is one of the major figures in twentieth-century American education & his ideas continue to frame the debate on educational reform as we enter the twenty-first century.

William Heard Kilpatrick was born in White Plains, Georgia in 1871 and died in 1965. As a child, he was deeply influenced by the extremely different personalities of his parents. From his strict minister father, he learned the value of hard work, discipline and clear thinking. His mother provided the balance to his father’s sternness and from her he learned compassion, relationship, connection to others and self-confidence. It is these attributes that are the foundation for Kilpatrick’s work ethic and teaching. While attending Mercer University, he read Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and was changed forever. As a result, he realized that he did not have to be “religious” and he could still have high moral and social standards. He graduated Mercer University in 1871 and with a $500 loan from one of his brothers, he left for graduate school at John Hopkins University.

At John Hopkins, his interest in evolutionary science and “open-ended intellectual inquiry” was developed. As a result, he denounced the formal religious practice of his family and sought more secular ways of believing and living. After graduating John Hopkins, he became a teacher, principal and college instructor. During this time, he discovered the teachings of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Francis Parker. These individuals were the inspiration of his teaching philosophy: Learning best occurs when engaged in meaningful experiences that allow the development of student responsibility in the planning, production and completion of the experience. When he was a principal at an elementary school, he was instrumental in having report cards eliminated. He always had high standards for students and trusted their choices and methods. Kilpatrick also believed in living by the same principals that he taught students and engaged in continued study and philosophical exchanges with colleagues while in these demanding positions.

It was during a summer break from teaching that he enrolled in a summer session at the University of Chicago, where he first met John Dewey. As the story goes, he took a class with Dewey and found him difficult to understand and got discouraged. He did not believe that Dewey was a good lecturer! A few years later, he decided to go to Columbia University Teachers College and ran into Dewey once again. This time, however, instead of getting discouraged, he took on the challenge of interpreting Dewey to others. In doing so, he became a protégé of Dewey and a leader in the progressive education movement. He is credited with popularizing Dewey’s theory. Kilpatrick received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1912. His dissertation is entitled “The Dutch Schools of New Netherland and Colonial New York.” From 1909, he taught at Teachers College, Columbia and became professor of the philosophy of education in 1918.

Kilpatrick is best known for “The Project Method” which was formally presented in 1918 in an essay appearing in the Teacher’s College Record. Dewey’s theory of experience was the springboard for the theory of “The Project Method”. In “The Project Method”, Kilpatrick explained that the interest of children should be at the center of the project approach. This interest serves as the “unit of study.” By utilizing topics of interest, learning becomes more relevant and meaningful. Solving problems within a meaningful social context is how knowledge is best constructed. “Purposeful” learning, therefore, becomes the motivational factor for children to engage in the project. According to Kilpatrick, there are four phases to a project: “purposing, planning, executing and judging. The student ideally, should initiate all phases, not the teacher.

Kilpatrick also believed in a democratic classroom environment that takes into consideration individuality, but does not perpetuate the notion of individualism. In other words, everyone is recognized as having individual thoughts and concepts, but these must be weighed and considered toward the common goals and values of the classroom. Teachers must be reflective and philosophical to make sure that teaching ensures continued growth for both student and teacher. It is no surprise that Kilpatrick is considered one of the most popular professors ever at Teachers College. His practice of respect, trust and democracy endeared him to many. However, he is not beloved by all, with many experts in the field criticizing his methods and practices. In The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them, E. D. Hirsch is highly critical of the progressive approach and Kilpatrick in particular. [10, 11]

Born November 20, 1871, White Plains, Georgia, to James Hines and Edna Perrin (Heard) Kilpatrick. Married December 27, 1898, to Marie Beman Guyton. Married November 26, 1908, to Margaret Marigault Pinckney. Married May 8, 1940, to Marion Y. Ostrander. Children: two. Died February 13, 1965, New York, New York.
William Heard Kilpatrick received the A.B. (1891) and A.M. (1892) degrees from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and the Ph.D. degree (1912) from Columbian University.
Kilpatrick was a teacher and principal in Georgia public schools (1892-97). He returned to Mercer University as professor of mathematics (1897-1906) and served as acting president (1903-05). He went to Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1909 and taught there until his retirement in 1938.
Kilpatrick originated the project method of education, a rejection of traditional subjects as the curriculum pattern. He wrote many books, including The Dutch Schools of New Netherland and Colonial New York (1912), The Montessori System Examined (1914), Froebel's Kindergarten Principles Critically Examined (1916), Source Book in the Philosophy of Education (1923), Foundations of Method (1925), Education for a Changing Civilization (1926), How We Learn (with Mason Olcott, 1928), Our Educational Task (1930), Education and the Social Crisis (1932), Remaking the Curriculum (1936), Group Education for a Democracy (1940), Selfhood and Civilization (1941), and Philosophy of Education (1951), and he was editor and coauthor of The Educational Frontier (1933), The Teacher and Society (1937), Intercultural Attitudes in the Making (1947) and a founder of The Social Frontier.
He helped found Bennington (Vermont) College, a leading progressive college, and was president of its board of trustees (1931-38). He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Education Association, a member of the board of the Progressive Education Association, and president of the New York Urban League (1941-51). He was chairman of the Bureau of Intercultural Education (1946-54) and the board of American Youth for World Youth (1946-51). He received the Brandeis Award (1953) and four honorary degrees.